Political in more ways than one, Black Panther is the latest installment from Marvel Studios and is action-packed with a focus on character. It’s not just another superhero movie.

An origin story, Black Panther introduces us to Wakanda, a technologically advanced African nation hidden from the world. The nation of Wakanda was founded atop a special metal called vibranium which arrived on Earth by asteroid – this is the same metal which was used to construct Captain America’s famous shield. We follow T’Challa, the titular Black Panther, whose father has passed away (an event shown in Captain America: Civil War and again here by flashbacks). T’Challa is now King of Wakanda, but a decision by his late father leads both T’Challa and Wakanda to a fateful encounter with an enemy seeking political and personal retribution.

I want to start off by saying that I had a lot of fun with this movie. The characters, action and production design are all consistent with each other and enjoyable. It is paced well, which allowed me to get sucked into the story and universe, and is also visually distinct from the other movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (‘MCU’).

Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa ably portrays a complex character. We see T’Challa’s struggle trying to rule a kingdom when he feels he isn’t ready, which grounds the story and the character. Like all great heroes which we have seen in these kinds of movies, T’Challa’s battle is internal and external.

The way the filmmakers have portrayed Wakanda in this movie is very immersive; I found myself deeply invested in the setting, more than other fictional worlds portrayed in similar films. We have seen so many worlds in the MCU such as those shown in Guardians Of The Galaxy or Thor, but I did not find myself connecting to them as strongly as I did with Wakanda.

Both of the villains in Black Panther are great and possess memorable personalities giving them a strong presence on screen. Klaw (Ulysses Klaue played by Andy Serkis) is terrific, but I would have liked to have seen more of him. Serkis creates a character who is deranged yet calculating. The other, primary villain is played by Michael B Jordan, who is Erik ‘Killmonger’ Stevens. He is a badass, plain and simple. Without giving too much away, Killmonger wants to expose Wakanda to the world and use Wakanda’s advanced technology to create a new world order.

Moreover, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia and Letitia Wright as Shuri are great supporting characters. I am happy that the story does not focus too heavily on the relationship between T’Challa and Nakia – they don’t make it cheesy.

It was great to see such a mainstream movie dealing with issues of race and equality. It’s not the first film to do this but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be valued for its impact in the current climate. The filmmakers don’t tread lightly, but I didn’t feel that they were preaching to me either. I enjoyed these themes and the extra layers they gave the movie, which gave me pause to question certain ideas, certain paradigms, that have become commonplace at present. I saw Black Panther with my wife and we discussed how the main villain in certain aspects was not wrong, with T’Challa countering Killmonger’s extremism by being an almost Gandhi-like figure.

Finally, in a movie like this the soundtrack is key to the ambiance of what is going on and I felt that they got it right. It really helped to sell the experience and immerse me in Wakanda.

Ultimately, Black Panther is a very capable standalone that also works as a part of the greater MCU, and of course leaves me excited for the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War this year.

]]>http://www.movieburger.com.au/reviews/black-panther-review/feed/0Coco Reviewhttp://www.movieburger.com.au/reviews/coco-review/
http://www.movieburger.com.au/reviews/coco-review/#respondSun, 26 Nov 2017 07:04:54 +0000http://www.movieburger.com.au/?p=5910You can usually trust Pixar to deliver a good movie – the question is really whether the animation studio’s latest film is a great one. Fortunately, Coco is one of Pixar’s best.

I loved this movie. It was colourful, vibrant, fun, thematically rich and moving. I saw it with three others, all adults, and all four us got misty eyed at some point – and I could tell we were not the only ones.

The story follows Miguel, a young lad with music in his heart but whose family have barred him from all musical pursuits – instead demanding he follow the family tradition of being a shoemaker. This does not sit well with Miguel, who wishes to be a musician just like his deceased great-great-grandfather.

On the ‘Día de los Muertos’ (the Day of the Dead, the celebrated Mexican holiday on which day family and friends come together to remember those who have passed away), Miguel seeks to enter a music competition. What follows is a series of events that ultimately leads to Miguel being transported to the land of the dead, in a sequence which reminded me of Hayao Miyazaki’s Academy Award winning masterpiece Spirited Away – specifically when Chihiro becomes trapped in the spirit world.

Indeed, it is not a stretch to call Coco Pixar’s Spirited Away. The films share a number of similarities, from the premise of a young person who becomes trapped in a strange but wondrous and vividly realised world to the gorgeous animation. Coco draws deep of Mexican culture and tradition, telling a story with key lessons about the importance of family, following one’s dreams and remembering the past. Like all of Pixar’s best, Coco will play well with and has something for all ages to appreciate.

Coco also boasts a great soundtrack. It is not a musical in the vein of Disney’s The Lion King or Frozen, but it does have a few great songs that organically weave into the film’s plot. There is ‘Remember Me’ which has received the pop cover treatment for the film’s credits (like Frozen’s ‘Let It Go’ and Moana’s ‘How Far I’ll Go’), and which will probably be the song the movie is most remembered for, but my favourite is another track sung by Miguel’s voice actor Anthony Gonzalez. The voice cast is uniformly excellent, Gonzalez in particular demonstrates a wide range, with composer Michael Giacchino (The Incredibles, Up) rounding out the stunning soundscape.

I only have one gripe, and it is incredibly minor: there is a brief bit of upfront backstory and context that is conveyed via narration, which I felt could have been handled more naturally – it then took about five to ten minutes of scene setting before I was wholly on board with the film. This issue aside, I cannot recommend Coco enough – it is the best animated feature of the year and one of Pixar’s very best.

To celebrate the release of Daddy’s Home 2 on November 23, Movie Burger has 5 in-season double passes to see the movie to giveaway to our readers thanks to Paramount Pictures!

Synopsis:

In the sequel to the 2015 global smash, father and stepfather, Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) and Brad (Will Ferrell) have joined forces to provide their kids with the perfect Christmas.

Their newfound partnership is put to the test when Dusty’s old-school, macho Dad (Mel Gibson) and Brad’s ultra-affectionate and emotional Dad (John Lithgow) arrive just in time to throw the holiday into complete chaos.

Terms & Conditions
1. The promotion closes at 5:00 PM Adelaide (SA) time on Wednesday, 22 November 2017.
2. Only South Australian residents are eligible to enter. Entries specifying a non-South Australian address will be void.
3. Entries are limited to one per person. Multiple entries using the same email address will be void – only the first entry using a specific email address will be valid.
4. The winners will be selected at random and announced on this page within 48 hours of the end of the promotion. The winners will be notified of their win by Movie Burger by email to the email address that they each provided in the entry form.
5. You give Movie Burger permission to publish your name if you win.
6. Prizes will be mailed via Australia Post to the address provided. Movie Burger takes no responsibility for damage or non-delivery of prizes by Australia Post.
7. Movie Burger takes no responsibility for prizes that cannot be claimed due to films either not playing in your area or going out of season.
8. Movie Burger values your privacy; your contact information will not be shared.
9. By clicking ‘Send’ you confirm that you are not prevented from purchasing and/or watching the movie that is the subject of this promotion by reason of your age and the movie’s classification.
10. By clicking ‘Send’ you agree to these terms and conditions.

WinnersS. Owens
T. Willcox
D. Carter
D. Southam
K. Knott

]]>http://www.movieburger.com.au/sides/daddys-home-2-double-pass-giveaway/feed/0Welcome To Movie Burgerhttp://www.movieburger.com.au/sides/welcome-to-movie-burger/
http://www.movieburger.com.au/sides/welcome-to-movie-burger/#respondWed, 08 Nov 2017 03:27:07 +0000http://www.movieburger.com.au/?p=5877I’m pleased to announce the official relaunch of Movie Burger, where everything is made up and the points don’t matter!

Long-time readers will know that Movie Burger first launched in 2011, and grew to feature hundreds of pages of original content all about the silver screen.

After a quiet spell, Movie Burger now returns with a new website, clean slate (old posts have been archived and may be re-uploaded over time) and renewed focus on fun, escapist entertainment.

This is an exciting time, and I hope that you will join me on this journey through the wonderful world of movie magic.

What makes Movie Burger different?

As Anton Ego so eloquently puts it in Ratatouille, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than any criticism designating it so.

I believe that wholeheartedly, and my mission with Movie Burger is to try to find the positives in films new and old. It’s about second chances, redeeming qualities and saving graces – while still acknowledging faults where they appear.

It’s about a different perspective, balancing the good and the bad, that will hopefully help you to determine whether you might enjoy a particular movie, rather than convincing you that a movie is awful and the filmmakers behind it should never have been born.

In my experience, very rarely is a film utterly devoid of quality and so morally bankrupt as to warrant the critical lambasting that many seem to receive. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen however.

At the very least, I hope that I can share my love of movies and in so doing maybe readers will take away something that will help to enrich their movie experience one way or another.

For more on Movie Burger, jump on over to the Chefs page to read about contributors and keep a weather eye open for reviews and sides (original content and the occasional competition).

When an elite crime squad’s lead detective (Fassbender) investigates the disappearance of a victim on the first snow of winter, he fears an elusive serial killer may be active again. With the help of a brilliant recruit (Ferguson), the cop must connect decades-old cold cases to the brutal new one if he hopes to outwit this unthinkable evil before the next snowfall.

The Snowman is produced by Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner (The Theory of Everything, Les Misérables), as well as Piodor Gustafsson (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and Robyn Slovo (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy).

A Working Title Films production—in association with Another Park Film—the thriller is executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Alfredson, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Liza Chasin and Amelia Granger.

The film was shot entirely on location in Norway in the cities of Oslo and Bergen and the area of Rjukan.

]]>http://www.movieburger.com.au/sides/the-snowman-double-pass-giveaway/feed/0American Made Reviewhttp://www.movieburger.com.au/reviews/american-made-review/
http://www.movieburger.com.au/reviews/american-made-review/#respondFri, 25 Aug 2017 01:01:53 +0000http://www.movieburger.com.au/?p=5587American Made is a snappy telling of the supposedly ‘true lie’ that was the story of Barry Seal, an American pilot who became a drug smuggler while working for the CIA in the 80s. The film gets a lot of mileage out of its star, Tom Cruise, whose charismatic screen presence carries much of the film – a lesser actor in the leading role lacking Cruise’s self-efficacy and pearly whites would not have worked.

Cruise re-teams with director Doug Liman, whom he previously worked with on the excellent sci-fi flick Edge of Tomorrow. Liman is a capable director and has created a movie in American Made that never lags, but doesn’t truly excel either – it moves along at a quick clip, with regular injections of humour and a strong performance by Cruise anchoring the is it or isn’t it true story of Barry Seal.

I wasn’t familiar with Seal’s story before watching the movie and while it’s certainly an entertaining one, as with many biographical films I simply don’t see myself rushing back to re-watch American Made – it’s a one and done for me, being a tad too documentary-like in its execution. If you’re not into ‘true stories’ and aren’t a fan of Tom Cruise, then American Made isn’t the movie for you. For everyone else, it’s a brief snapshot of Seal’s bizarre story and an enjoyable two hours of your time but is unlikely to stick with you after the credits have rolled.

To celebrate the release of American Made on August 24, Movie Burger has 5 in-season double passes to see the movie to giveaway to our readers thanks to Universal Studios!

Synopsis:

In Universal Pictures’ American Made, Tom Cruise reunites with his Edge of Tomorrow director, Doug Liman, in this international escapade based on the outrageous (and real) exploits of Barry Seal, a hustler and pilot unexpectedly recruited by the CIA to run one of the biggest covert operations in U.S. history.

To celebrate the release of Atomic Blonde on August 3, Movie Burger has 5 in-season double passes to see the movie to giveaway to our readers thanks to Universal Studios!

Synopsis:

Oscar® winner Charlize Theron explodes into summer in Atomic Blonde, a breakneck action-thriller that follows MI6’s most lethal assassin through a ticking time bomb of a city simmering with revolution and double-crossing hives of traitors.

The crown jewel of Her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service, Agent Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is equal parts spycraft, sensuality and savagery, willing to deploy any of her skills to stay alive on her impossible mission. Sent alone into Berlin to deliver a priceless dossier out of the destabilized city, she partners with embedded station chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to navigate her way through the deadliest game of spies.

]]>http://www.movieburger.com.au/sides/atomic-blonde-double-pass-giveaway/feed/0Atomic Blonde Reviewhttp://www.movieburger.com.au/reviews/atomic-blonde-review/
http://www.movieburger.com.au/reviews/atomic-blonde-review/#respondFri, 21 Jul 2017 01:01:58 +0000http://www.movieburger.com.au/?post_type=review&p=5199About halfway into Atomic Blonde I was bored. I was waiting, hoping, that something would finally happen to ignite my interest and capitalise on the promise of the film’s explosive title. Fortunately, something did happen – a bravura action set piece filmed as if to be a single, seamless shot – and from there it took off, with rewarding pay-offs and surprising reveals that will, in retrospect, make me appreciate the slog of the film’s first half more.

Atomic Blonde comes to audiences from David Leitch, one half of the directing duo behind John Wick, and features the same electric, brutal and easy-to-follow action that fans of John Wick now know and love. Where Wick re-launched Keanu Reeves as an action star, Atomic Blonde seems poised to do the same for Charlize Theron – who is convincing in a variety of fight scenes and set pieces but whose steely spy Lorraine is buried behind a cold, emotionless facade. We never really get a sense of who she is aside from what the film’s title promises.

Indeed, Atomic Blonde is a difficult film to become emotionally invested in as the characters are all spies or agents of some description with little more characterisation – there’s a generic assortment of British, Russian, German, French and American agents all involved in finding and securing ‘the list’ which, as is always the case in these sorts of movies, is a list of undercover and double agents that would cause disaster in the wrong hands. James McAvoy’s spy David Percival is probably the most interesting character, simply because he’s given a bit more to work with and his actions drive much of the plot.

There is a lot of exposition and positioning before anything really happens however, which is a shame because Atomic Blonde has some of the best action you will see in a movie this year and a very strong denouement. This does not change the fact that I was rather bored for a good portion of the runtime. Still, thanks to a fantastic soundtrack featuring songs from David Bowie, Queen and Nena, as well as its setting on the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Atomic Blonde manages to scrape by on style until it finally changes gear. The aforementioned bravura set piece justifies the price of admission alone.

]]>http://www.movieburger.com.au/reviews/atomic-blonde-review/feed/0Baby Driver Reviewhttp://www.movieburger.com.au/reviews/baby-driver-review/
http://www.movieburger.com.au/reviews/baby-driver-review/#respondFri, 14 Jul 2017 00:26:56 +0000http://www.movieburger.com.au/?post_type=review&p=5196Writer-director Edgar Wright (The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), brings another slick and eccentric experience to the big screen in Baby Driver. Ansel Elgort (Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars) is Baby, a young man with severe tinnitus who drowns out his condition with music. He almost constantly has his headphones plugged in, playing his life out to a personalised soundtrack of songs such as Bellbottoms and Queen’s Brighton Rock. Wright frames the story around this concept, with a wide array of varied and excellent songs that the onscreen shenanigans are closely choreographed to – with pinpoint and precision editing that keeps things zippy.

The plot itself though is familiar. Baby is a young getaway driver trying to get out of the game but is forced to repay a debt to Doc (Kevin Spacey), a crime boss who has Baby under his thumb. Forced to team up with an assortment of unsavoury types, such as Jon Hamm’s greasy Buddy and Jamie Foxx’s impulsive Bats, to execute a series of heists, Baby discovers his love interest in waitress Debora (Lily James) which reaffirms his desire to get out. The plot then hurtles towards Baby’s ‘one last job’ before he can finally escape with Debora. It’s a familiar setup, but executed with a killer soundtrack from a director with a truly unique voice.